SUI HE
Wenzhou-born supermodel SUI HE is one of the most recognisable Asian faces in fashion. Providing a rare glimpse into her world, she talks to our Editor in Chief WEI LIU about the life-changing turning points of her career and how she’s learned to embrace them.
INTERVIEWER WEI LIU
PHOTOGRAPHER JUMBO TSUI
STYLIST EVAN FENG
WEI LIU: You were the first Asian model to open the Ralph Lauren runway show in Fall/Winter 2011 and the first Asian global spokesmodel for Japanese beauty giant Shiseido, not to mention the numerous high-profile campaigns and editorials that you’ve starred in. What do you think represents Asian beauty today?
SUI HE: I never thought about this. I don’t want to classify myself as an Asian face or Chinese face. Although I am Asian, I would never think differently about different skin colours, body sizes or facial features when I work. When I was younger, I was curious about what I saw for the first time, but the more you know and get involved, the more I found out that the beauty of the West and East can coexist and merge.
WL: Your current focus is mainly on the domestic market. Why did you suddenly return to China despite the fact your career is on the rise?
SH: My dad was sick and needed to have surgery, so I felt I had to be back there for him.
WL: You’re a very family-oriented person, so will you choose family over work?
SH: Imagine that life is an exam and the subjects are work, family, love, study, travel and more. I don’t want to be a genius that is only excellent at one specific subject; I’d rather be the one who can pass every single subject even if it’s only a pass because that way I’d be able to enjoy all 360 degrees of the world.
WL: Do your parents have a big influence on you?
SH: Yes. My hair, skin, and height - I can eat anything I want and not gain weight. I’ve inherited all the good genes of my parents. They love to read books and are constantly curious about new things, so this definitely had an impact on me. In terms of personality, I am closer to my mom, but I am also trying hard to break through that sometimes because she is more traditional than I am. She’s like a mirror of me. When I see her reaction and attitude towards something, I’ll realise that I am probably going to act the same way as she does. If it’s something that’s not necessarily right, then I’ll reflect on myself and remind her so that we can improve together.
WL: What is the relationship with your parents like?
SH: They can be very controlling sometimes, but I’ll tell them that this is my own business, that although we are family, we’re also independent of each other. The boundary between parents and children is different within a traditional Chinese family as my relationship with them feels more like that of a friendship. We’re equals and we can always communicate on anything. They understand that even great parents can’t get everything right.
Leather Coat ERDOS
WL: Many of your fans can’t wait to see you on the runway again, will you consider going back to the global market?
SH: I want to but whenever I make plans to return, something important would come up or I’d get booked for a job, so it never works out. Do I regret it? I might have bigger opportunities if I didn’t come back but to tell you the truth, I have nothing to regret because that was my choice. My dad was sick so I came back because that’s was more important and the right thing to do.
WL: You’re still very recognised by the industry despite the fact that you’re not super active in the international market at the moment. You’ve appeared in so many high fashion covers and campaigns in such a short period of time so it’s still hard for any other Asian model to break your record.
SH: I had really good luck at the time. I remember thinking: “I’ve already had the best luck in my life, so I’ll be super satisfied no matter what happens in the future.” Do you get it? Content. That’s how I feel right now. You’ve met so many models, can you really say one girl is more beautiful than the other?
WL: Yes, but I have different feelings for your generation of models, like Liu Wen, Shu Pei, Ming Xi. I feel like I’ve watched you girls grow and I understand how difficult it was in the early years.
Trench Coat BOSS
Face Drop Earrings MARNI
“ Women are beautiful at any age. I may have looked younger and prettier ten years ago but if you asked me to choose between then and now, I’d definitely say I love who I am right now more. ”
SH: At the time, we didn’t really have as many opportunities, not to mention the working conditions, which are terrible to think about now. If you ask me to start from the beginning again, I don’t know if I’d have the courage to. When you’re working hard to prove yourself and get recognised, it was like ok, this season’s finally over but then you’re already walking into the next season. Season after season and the endless castings, fittings and travelling, it never stops. Thinking back, it was quite horrible. It feels as if it costs a life to do one season.
WL: I know! At the time, you girls had to work so hard just to get one show. But now…
SH: I can’t! My body won’t allow me to do that to myself anymore, I’m already 30!
WL: Speaking of age, the industry’s evolved a lot when it comes to that. In the past, you could only be a model when you’re young. Nowadays, whether you’re getting married or having children, it doesn’t matter, as you’re still able to work as a model. Age limit is a thing of the past.
SH: It’s a good thing. The beauty standard has become more diverse and inclusive now and it also feels like there’s more respect for models. Women are beautiful at any age. I may have looked younger and prettier ten years ago but if you asked me to choose between then and now, I’d definitely say I love who I am right now more. I lacked self-confidence in my work back then. I was shy and didn’t know how to express myself. At the age of 25 and 26, I was constantly worrying about ageing and felt so anxious. It got better when I turned 27 because then I discovered that my life hasn’t changed at all. When you have an open and accepting mindset, you stay young and that’s how I feel right now.
Jacket & Scarf GIORGIO ARMANI
WL: When you sit front row at a show, do you feel more relaxed now?
SH: Relatively speaking, watching a show is not easy. Of course, it’s different to walking in the show. When I model, I’ll be fully focused on walking down that runway in that few minutes. It gets more complicated when I get invited to watch a show because you’re there representing yourself, you need to bring exposure for the brand and get photographed well. There are usually interviews after the shows and I’m a perfectionist so it’s like homework and I have to answer every question perfectly. I do get the urge sometimes to walk in the show instead of sitting there and watching, especially when I see a look that I love or hear great runway music.
WL: You’ve walked in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show each year since 2011 and you’re also currently their Chinese brand ambassador. The show used to be huge in the past, but this year it was cancelled. What are your thoughts on this?
SH: I don’t really have an opinion on this. You’ve known me for so long so you should know that this is my attitude to anything. I don’t get influenced easily. Everything happens for a reason, so I believe that every decision that they make is well thought out. I don’t think I’m qualified to judge them, and I won’t worry about personal gains or losses if someone else made the decision. If it’s something I did wrong, then of course, I’ll be worried about the mistakes that I made but I won’t blame myself or have negative feelings if it’s something that someone else did.
WL: You’ve collaborated with multiple brands to design clothes. What was your role like in the process of design?
SH: I’m not a professional fashion designer so I wasn’t super involved in the design part. Usually, the brand will propose a direction or an idea and I’ll choose the ones I like the best. After that, we’ll go over style details together, and then they make it happen.
WL: I heard your designs are selling quite well. Do you have any plans to start your own brand?
SH: Absolutely not. Based on my experiences as a model, I’ve realised it’s not an easy thing to do. When I first started out, I used to think that the role of a fashion editor was easy. You find a photographer and a model, style the clothes and get a writer to write the text. That’s all. Sounds easy right? But you know better than me. The longer that you are in the industry, the more you see and the more you know about the amount of hard work that it takes to create one beautiful image. I met up with many of my designer friends during fashion week and I feel terrible when I hear their complaints. Some people think it’s easy to design clothes but it’s not just the detail of the sleeves or the buttons that you have to think about, there’s also your sales, promotion, fabrics, manufacturing, retailing… everything! Gosh, I don’t want to jump into that pit. I have so much admiration for designers.
Square-Detailed Velvet Dress BALMAIN
WL: Indeed, it’s not an easy feat to establish a fashion brand. Do you have any other career plans?
SH: I try not to plan because something always comes up and breaks my plan. It already happened twice and both happened during the most important turning points of my career.
WL: I guess the first time was when you started modelling.
SH: Yes, that was the first time. I was in a modelling competition and right before the finale, an agency called my dad and said they wanted to sign me. I said no because I wanted to go back to school after the competition ended. My parents are both civil servants so I had no idea what fashion was at the time. I told my dad that I would only sign if I won first place. It was a joke at the time because I never thought that I would win. Then I did and it felt like I had won the grand prize so I signed the contract with the agency.
WL: What was the second time?
SH: The second time was when I decided to give up modelling and focus entirely on going to university. I went to the agency with plans to go through with all the formalities. That day, many girls were lined up for a casting for a Milan-based agency who had come to cast new faces for fashion week. They asked me to join the casting and I ended up signing with them. After that, the agency flew me out to Milan for my first Milan fashion week and said that I’d be a hero if I booked four shows. Rejection was a norm for East Asian models as models of colour weren’t booked for many shows at the time. There would only be one or two girls of colour for a show. I ended up walking in twelve shows that season and that was the beginning of my international career. Everything was unexpected, so I don’t plan. If the opportunity comes, you have to go for it.
WL: I know you don’t want to plan too far into the future but is there anything else you want to achieve in life?
SH: Maybe go for a wander? I think I still have a lot to learn. I’d love to improve my skills at painting, skiing and cooking. I really enjoy the feeling that I get when I put my heart into something. That’s why I love the gym and sports because you need to focus on it and keep concentrating or else you’ll get injured easily. I love that kind of concentration that you get like in boxing or badminton where you need to focus all of your attention on one thing.
Blazer Dress MAISON SANS TITRE
Eclipse Earrings GIVENCHY
WL: I still recall the days you used to complain about going to the gym. You’ve changed!
SH: Yes, I barely used to go to the gym back then. I thought I was skinny so that was enough. I didn’t understand why I needed to go to the gym. I was like, I’m already exhausted from 12 hours of work so please don’t ask me to go to the gym.
WL: What changed?
SH: Many of the VS models are super passionate about working out even before the show. For my first two VS shows, I didn’t work out at all. I didn’t understand what fit meant at the time, I simply thought it was the same thing as long as you looked skinny. Fitness also wasn’t such a huge thing back then. As it got more popular, I started to go the gym and have a better understanding of it now. The most important thing for me is that it’s enjoyable.
WL: What sport do you enjoy the most?
SH: Everything except jogging or swimming.
WL: I thought you’d say swimming. Weren’t you a member of the city swim team when you were in school?
SH: There are too many painful memories from my youth. You fall out of love with it when it becomes an everyday training task. You know that I’m not one to cry easily but when it comes to swimming my nose gets sour and the tears don’t stop. It’s inexplicable. I remember asking my mom once during fashion week, “When will the hardships of life stop?” I would then think back to swimming and remember that training was bitter. It was physical and mental torture for me. I couldn’t deal with the pain.
WL: How old were you at the time and how long did you train for?
SH: I started when I was six and continued for seven years. The moment I stopped training and went back to regular school life, I found so much joy in just going to school. The only time you can take a day off when you train is during the Spring Festival holiday. Skipping just one day puts an entire week of training in vain. I spent a lot of my childhood swimming and in school and only started modelling when I was 17. I never really got to have fun on the weekends the way other kids might have. I always felt that a part of me was missing and never really got the chance to see the outside world.
Knit Top & Feather Embellished Coat TOMMY ZHONG
WL: But don’t you get to travel the world as a model?
SH: Yes but it’s not the same. We’re often asked, “What’s the biggest perk of your job?” Most of us would say that it’s being able to travel around the world and experiencing different cultures and food. That’s not really true but it’s probably the reason why many people assume that the life of a model is glamorous and easy.
In real life, when we travel to any foreign country for a job, the only places we’ve been are the airport, hotel and the studio. Sometimes, you need to go to the studio directly and start working as soon as landing. If you are lucky, you will arrive one night before the working day, the call time will be at early morning when it’s dark outside, and it will be late and dark again when you finish the shooting. What’s worse, your flight is always booked the night after work or early next day morning. For example, even though I have been to Stockholm many times, and I still don’t know what the city looks like.
At that time, I wouldn’t think of staying one more night to explore the city even if I had free time after the job, because I wasn’t in the mood, and all I wanted was to go back home.
WL: You were too work-driven.
SH: It’s more accurate to say it was the jobs pushing me to keep going back then. In my early 20s, I only thought about what I was going to eat, how to get a job done easily and how to dress up to look good.
Wool Felt Cape & Cotton Tailored Shirt VERA WANG
WL: I can feel that you are more relaxed and open to yourself now.
SH: It is too difficult to find something that I love to do. It took me such a long time, and I only started to love my job and slow down and learn to feel and enjoy the world outside, recently. I used to divide my work and personal life very clearly. Now, I would stay one or a few nights when I get to travel somewhere, whenever I get a chance. I am enjoying working and my life at the same time.
WL: And you have two cats now. I remember that you were afraid of cats before.
SH: Yes, I used to be afraid of cats because I think they look smart. They are very guarded, and their eyes are unpredictable and look scary. But one day, I happened to see a photo of Garfield, then I was like, oh my god, how could it look so cute and naive? Then I started to have them. I was still scared to see other cats in the first year except for my own cats. I think they changed me a lot, and I can feel that I am much gentler than before since I had them. Because they are just like children and it’s my responsibility to take care of them.
WL: I noticed that you had been a guest in several movies, should I expect more coming?
SH: I am not sure right now. I may not have had much interest in it before, but you may change your mind several times about what you want to do at different times. For example, you were so sure that you would never do one thing when you were twenty, and when you grow up to thirty, you will find that your original views of the world are not necessarily correct. You didn’t betray the old you, but instead you have matured and improved yourself.
In the past, when I was asked to do a new thing that I am not familiar with, if I didn’t have the confidence to do it well, I wouldn’t even try. I might have worried too much by then, I was afraid of failure and didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
I admire those brave people who can try to work on new things without knowing whether the result is good or bad. And they would put their life into it to make it work, and I feel that the hard-working process would be the most worthwhile time of your life.
It’s also important to accept that you will make mistakes, and you are allowed to fail, no one is perfect at everything. I used to get too attached to outcomes, and now I will tell myself that life is too short. If someone offers you a chance in a new area, don’t be afraid to give it a shot.
Sleeveless Knit Top CHRISTIAN DIOR
Strapless Tuxedo Dress ACNE STUDIO
HAIR STYLIST ISSAC YU
MAKEUP ARTIST XINCHAO TAN
PRODUCER MAC ZHOU
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER WEI LIU
This profile was originally published in The WOW N° 2, 2019.